Foods you make from scratch that are easily bought

Chicken stock/demi-glace
Ranch dressing (actually, all salad dressings)
Tomato sauce
Buttermilk pancakes
Croutons (okay, I buy really good bread)
Pasta
Corned Beef Hash
Basil Pesto
Breadcrumbs
Hummus

I really don’t know why people buy hummus. It is so darned easy to make, and the homemade stuff is SO much better than store bought.

Agreed. That said, until someone makes tahini in a smaller sized portion (the one time I bought it, could only find it in 16oz), I’ll stick with store-bought hummus. At least in my case, tahini had an extremely short life in my fridge.

Odd. I’ve kept it for very long time periods, even unrefrigerated. It’s really not that different than peanut butter. Maybe you contaminated it with something?

Unrefrigerated??? The one I bought, Roland, said to refrigerate after opening. Oh well. Might give it a shot again.

Butter, pasta, pesto, and ice cream.

k.

You churn your own butter?

Are you sure it was JUST sesame seeds? There are some brands that say tahini, but they actually do have some chick peas in it already. If you have access to a Middle Eastern market, get it there. Make sure it is just sesame seeds.

Just small batches from leftover (aged) cream. I just shake it in a mason jar usually and then set it using a mold. It’s surprisingly easy, and with fresh bread it is a must.

k.

Thanks!

I’m sorry – I just want to understand this correctly – you throw the cream into a mason jar, shake (for how long?) and then refrigerate?

Never occurred to me.

I like making my own stock, pickles, cured salmon, etc.

Ahhhhh…
ze Google:

Add an object to the jar, a wine cork works nicely, to help agitate the cream.

Hmm…

Good list so far and I’ll add

Bread, pie crust, salsa, lemonade

OT recommendation for dried garbanzo beans from

Really great beans

Pre-made salad dressing is an abomination. Filled with Guar or xanthan gum, modified food starch, artificial flavors and preservatives. total yuck.

Re hummus, I haven’t made it from scratch in years, but I do recall that the tahini (pure sesame seeds) did require refrigeration, at least after opening. But I also refrigerate (real) peanut butter after opening. Sabra-brand hummus tastes as good as I remember the homemade being (but I started with dried garbanzos, not fresh). I will try hummus from scratch again this fall, using the Palouse beans available from Amazon (thanks, Mel, Larry, et al.).

I have a fairly standard from-scratch repertoire: chicken and beef stock, fresh pasta, pancake batter (orange/whole wheat), pie crust, pizza crust, salsa (sometimes). Rarely use canned beans; dried beans from WF or other decent source are much better).

Will definitely give mason-jar butter a try. I have made butter from scratch inadvertantly, by over-whipping cream…

I also make mac & cheese from scratch; I know that some connaisseurs prefer it from a box.

+1 - I’ve found that it keeps for ages like PB. And it is also good for making…
baba ghanoush.

I make my own ice cream all the time - nothing easier.

I don’t make my own stocks - though I keep meaning to use the quick recipe that Modernist Cuisine recommends via the pressure cooker.

Maraschino Cherries. Nothing like the glowing things in the grocery.

Pesto and tomato sauces, though haven’t tried making pasta yet.

My SO was the editor of this book…

Think of a Tennessee Williams play.


“Ah make mah buhttuh in a jah, dahlin…”



sorry

I just checked the stuff I have now, and it does not mention anything about refrigeration on the label.

Any food with low water activity (low water content), is less likely to have microbial or chemical spoilage issues. The biggest issue with oils and oil containing foods like tahini and PB would be rancidity, which is protected to a certain extent by refrigeration, but I generally use that kind of stuff fast enough that it is not an issue.

Margaritas.

George